A group of motorcycle riders and members of the Pahrump VFW Post 10054 gathered at the Calvada Eye on Sept. 11 to present Fire Chief Scott Lewis with an American flag connected to a remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero.
The ride and presentation were organized by Dave Hall, a retired firefighter who recently moved to Pahrump after serving 33 years in Oregon. Hall said commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks remains especially meaningful to him because of his years in the fire service.
“It’s near and dear to my heart, and so I do some kind of a motorcycle ride and ceremony every year for September 11th,” Hall said.
The participating riders were community members from Pahrump and Las Vegas. They gathered at Red Rock Harley-Davidson that morning for coffee and doughnuts before riding together to Pahrump for the presentation.
During the ceremony, Hall delivered a reading written from the perspective of the American flag, describing its place in the nation’s history and the sacrifices made beneath it.
“I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice. I stand for freedom,” Hall read. “I have borne silent witness to all of America’s finest hours. But my finest hours are yet to come.”
The reading traced the flag’s presence through major conflicts in American history, from Valley Forge and Gettysburg to Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. It also reflected on the flag’s role in honoring fallen military members and comforting their grieving families.
“I am proud. I am the flag of the United States of America,” Hall concluded. “Long may I wave, dear God, long may I wave.”
According to information shared during the ceremony, the flag presented to Lewis was at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2017, with a U.S. Navy search-and-rescue helicopter crew.
Lance Cpl. Bill Quicksell of the United States Marine Corps formally presented the flag to Lewis as the assembled flag detail stood at attention and rendered honors.
Organizers said they will work with Lewis to place the flag in a shadow box with an identifying plaque. The display will accompany a piece of steel Lewis already has as part of a developing Sept. 11 memorial at the fire station.
The ride, flag presentation and planned memorial offered participants an opportunity to remember the lives lost on Sept. 11 while recognizing the firefighters, law enforcement officers, military personnel and other first responders who continue to serve their communities.
